After It All
by ineedtobackup
Summary: A bunch of short stories that detail the adventures Joel and Ellie have after the game. My first fanfic. Rated T for themes and language.
1. Sarah's Last Gift

**Sarah's Last Gift**

* * *

Joel wakes up in cold sweat, almost falling out of the bed. Another bad dream. Always the same nightmare. Him carrying Sarah away from the infected, the soldier shooting at them, him watching her slowly bleed to death. It never changed. He looks at the watch that Sarah gave him for his birthday. He always wore it, even though it no longer worked.

Joel almost forgot where he was. He was used to the cold hard floor, yet right now he was lying down in a comfy mattress. The walls were still intact, and the windows were not totally broken. It took him a second to realize that he was now at Jackson County, safe and sound inside Tommy's dam.

He rises from the bed, and trudges toward the shower. Today, they were assigned to hunt for food. Even though the dam already had a decent farm and an ok livestock, they still had to hunt to sustain the amount of families living inside. Tommy did say to Joel, though, that in a few months, the farm will be in full swing and hunting won't be necessary. Joel looks out to determine the time. The sky is still littered with many twinkling stars, the houses still dark and sleeping.

After dressing up in his usual clothing, a plaid shirt and jeans, he ambles to Ellie's room. Ever since they came back from Salt Lake City, Tommy was gracious enough to give them a small house with two separate bedrooms. Joel knocks at the door. After a couple seconds of silence, he could hear Ellie's beckoning to come in.

Ellie's room was not that different to Joel's. Same bland walls, same mattress, and, Joel swears, even the same crack in the window. The only difference being the auburn haired girl lying in the bed, half awake, and maybe a bit pissed.

"Rise and shine, kiddo." Joel nudges Ellie. Ellie retracts from his touch, hugging the wall.

"Jesus, Joel, the sun isn't even up..."

"I know, but if we want to get some elk, you need to be early."

"Yea, sure, just gimme a couple of minutes..."

Joel chuckles at Ellie's stubbornness. Figuring that she won't be getting up anytime soon, he decides to start making breakfast for the both of them. He climbs down and checks out the pantry to see what he could work with. He decides to just settle with a simple meal, bread and eggs.

He used to cook breakfast for Sarah too. He rubbed his thumb over the face of the broken watch. Every day, in the past, he'll wake up before the sun rises, and cook breakfast for him and his daughter. He'll fry some bacon, cook some eggs, and toast some bread. He'll pour a glass of milk for her, and make a cup of coffee for himself. Then, they'll talk about school and work related things. He could still remember how she would laugh about some funny incident that happened at the site, or how her face beamed when she talked about the things she did with her friends at the mall. Oh, how he wishes those days were back. If only, if only...

"Morning, Joel." Ellie greets, still half asleep, as she climbed down the stairs. Wearing her usual red shirt with black sleeves and jeans and hair, still wet, tied to a ponytail, she collapses to one of the chairs in the dining room. "So, what's for breakfast?" Joel snaps back to the present, remembering what he was doing. He shakes his head in frustration as he removes the almost burnt eggs from the pan. He has to remember that Sarah has passed away 20 years ago. He glances again at Sarah's last gift, the watch he always wears. He has to move on from the incident. Things happen, and we move on.

* * *

"Seen anything yet, Ellie?"

"Nah, nothing."

They have been looking for quite a while, yet they've seen nothing. When they left the dam, the sun was barely up. It now battered them with hot rays of sunshine, seemingly mocking them for their misfortune. Joel and Ellie strayed quite a bit from the dam, going to the part of the woods that's unexplored. Yet still, luck is eluding them.

"Hey, Joel?"

"Mm?"

"What do you call a seagull that flies over a bay?"

Joel groans. Ever since Ellie discovered a new volume of her joke book a while back, she's been barraging Joel with horrible jokes every time she can. "Aw, come on Joel," Ellie protests, "I promise, this one's pretty good."

Joel sighs in defeat. He never could stop Ellie's jokes, no matter how hard he tried. "What?"

Ellie tries to hold back her laughter as she tells the answer, "A bagel."

That brought a grin to Joel. Ellie pumps a fist in the air for her accomplishment. It's very rare to get a positive reaction out from Joel, let alone a smile.

Joel appreciates Ellie's company, even though he never says it. She makes quiet and boring times like this somewhat bearable. Her innocence and child-like view of the world never fails to amuse Joel. She could also handle herself in a fight, helping Joel countless of times.

Sometimes, it crosses Joel's mind that Ellie could be a daughter to him. But it feels like betraying his real daughter, Sarah. He glances at the broken watch. He never could replace Sarah.

"Joel! Joel! Look!" Ellie calls, crouching behind a bush.

Joel sees her, pointing at an elk just a few meters away, grazing at some grass. He crouches down beside Ellie and pulls out the hunting rifle from his pack. He checks the amount of ammo remaining. 5 rounds left. Plenty, considering he only needs one to take it down. Slowly, he aims the sights straight through its eyes. He holds his breath, and silently counts...

3...

2...

BANG!

The elk falls down to the ground. Birds resting on the treetops fly away from the deafening gunshot. Joel approaches to see if he hit the target. The bullet hole piercing through its eyes confirms it. He takes a second to admire his own marksmanship.

"Damn, Joel, that was a good sho-!" Before Ellie could finish her compliment, an infected jumps out from the bush to her left. He hears Ellie scream from pain and sees her fall to the ground, barely holding the runner trying to bite her neck.

"Ellie!" Joel points the rifle to its head and shoots. The runner's head explodes, and Ellie pushes the headless corpse away from her.

Joel runs to her side checking to see if there were any injuries. He doesn't see one, but he's still not totally sure. "Ellie, Ellie, listen to me."

All Ellie could do was mutter a silent, "Fuck."

"Did it hurt you? Any bites? Scratches? Wounds?"

"No, no, I think it's-," Ellie attempts to move her left leg but cries in pain when she did. "Yea, it bruised my leg pretty bad."

Joel looks around trying to see if there were more. The bushes were too high to see around, but he could definitely hear them. "I think the rifle woke them up. We need to get out of this place, fast. Can you walk?"

Ellie tries to stand up but almost falls over from the pain. "Shit, that's a no."

The option left was to carry her. They have to get out of there or it will not end well. He carries Ellie in his arms and runs.

He remembers doing almost the exact same thing 20 years ago. Silently, he curses fate and its cruelty. He ignores the twigs and branches that are hitting him in the face, leaving nasty scratches and wounds. He needs to get Ellie out of there fast, especially with her in this condition. After some time, he sees a game trail and follows it. He takes a glimpse to see if he lost them. Joel's heart sinks as he sees the runners still hot on their tail.

He knows full well that he could outrun them, but Ellie is making that task hard to achieve. At least she is trying to make herself helpful, firing at the runners with her gun and taking down a couple.

Joel eventually meets a fork in the path. He considers whether to take a left or a right. With the sound of runners nearing, he hastily picks the left. As he sprints, trying to avoid the roots of the trees, he could see that they are approaching a small camping ground, with tents still up, and supplies strewn around the floor. He also noticed that it was enclosed inside a pack of trees. A dead end.

He quickly scans for any items he could find useful. Empty cans, bags, and then Joel notices a crow's nest at the center of the camping ground. He places Ellie in it and gives her his rifle.

"Ellie, listen to me, girl." Joel pulls out the remaining ammo from his backpack. "You have three rounds. Make them count."

Ellie just nods and positions the rifle toward the way they came from. Joel kept looking for a weapon. He notices a machete on the other side of the camping grounds.

As he goes and picks it up, he now clearly hears the runners coming from the path. Only 5 of them are left, thanks to Ellie. They notice him and start running toward his direction. Joel prepares for the worst, but with Ellie at the rifle, a good machete in his hand, and a fully loaded 9mm in his pack, he has little to worry about.

BANG! A runner falls down, a hole between its eyes. BANG! Another runner's head explodes from the well placed shot. "Good girl," Joel mutters, and charges at the remaining 3.

The first one gets stabbed at the chest. As he pulls the machete out, he turns around and swipes at the second runner's neck. Its head falls to the ground. The third one surprised Joel. It had attacked him from behind. They got into a struggle, but eventually, he manages to push the runner off. As it tries to charge at Joel again, he swipes down hard with the machete. The weapon stuck to its skull, and it fell to the ground, dead.

"Jesus, Joel," Ellie says, panting, "that was tense."

"Yea," Joel agrees, approaching one of the bodies. "That was too close. Way too close." He crouches down and inspects the body. "It looks like they've just turned. A few weeks, maybe. The campers must've caught them with their guards down." He stands up to approach Ellie. "C'mon, let's get you out of here. We still need to return to that elk."

Joel didn't notice the camp councilor approaching him. Nor did he hear his clicks.

Ellie almost missed it. "Joel, look out!" she warned as she raised her rifle. When Joel turned, it had already tackled him. He fell hard to the ground. He instinctively raised his left arm but realized the mistake too late. The clicker bit his wrist.

He expected to feel pain, the teeth burrowing under its skin. But instead he felt nothing, nothing. He hears a horrible crunching sound, but no pain. He hears Ellie shoot the clicker, and it fell away from his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ellie climb down from the crow's nest, limping to him.

"Oh my god...Joel..." Ellie says, both her hands covering her mouth, tears starting to pool in her eyes. "A-are you...?"

"Shh, shh, Ellie...," reassuring Ellie. "I don't think it bit me. It's ok, Ellie, calm down, I'm ok..."

It took quite a bit of coaxing for her to calm down. She reminded him of Sarah. Her first bike accident. A fight between her and her friends. A rejection from her crush. She hated seeing Sarah cry as much as he hated seeing Ellie cry. He sighed in exasperation as he touched the face of his-

His watch! It was not on his wrist! He couldn't have left it at home, he never removes it! "Joel? Joel? What is it?" Ellie starts worrying again. He never saw Joel this agitated before. On all fours, he searches the ground for something. "My watch! My watch! It was on my-"

Realization dawned over Joel. The watch was on his left wrist. His eyes fell on the corpse of the dead clicker. Beside it, lay the watch, with the leather strap chewed in half, and the watch broken, it's gears spilling to the ground.

"No...oh, god please, no..." he crawls toward the watch, trying to fix it, trying to put it together again. But the more he tried to put it together, the more it fell apart. "No...oh my god...oh my god..."

Ellie knows the importance of the watch. It was Sarah's last gift to him. She never saw Joel this mortified. Not when Tess died, not when Sam turned, not when Henry killed himself. She puts her hand on his shoulders. She didn't know what he'll do next. "...Joel?"

Joel stands up abruptly. His face hard as stone, eyes wide, bloodshot, 9mm in his hand. "J-joel, p-please l-listen..."

"It's all your fucking fault..." he murmurs. Ellie nearly missed it. "W-what?"

"IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" he raises the handgun, and fires at the clicker's corpse.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The bullets ravaged the dead councilor's body, adding bullet holes to it's chest and shattered head. "Stop! Stop!" Ellie screams. BANG! BANG! BANG!

"IT's. ALL. YOUR. FUCKING..." Joel crumples to his knees, sobbing. He points the fire arm to his head.

"Joel, no!" Ellie was too late.

_Click._

_Click._

_Click._

The clip was empty.

Ellie managed to pry the pistol from Joel's hands. As it fell to the ground, she kicks it as hard as she can. She locks Joel in an embrace. She feels him tremble, and then he bursts into tears. Joel, the strong, gruff, man who never as much as shed a tear when Tess, his partner, died; Joel, her protector and savior in her time of need; Joel, her father-figure, who cradled her after the incident last winter; that very same Joel is now crying in Ellie's shoulders. The thought made her fall to pieces as well.

"Joel...Joel..." she mutters, in between her tears and sobs.

Maybe they stood there for minutes. Maybe they stood there for decades. They didn't care. All that mattered right now was each other.

Joel always thought that the watch was Sarah's last gift. Maybe her dying 20 years ago, sparing his life, was her last gift. Maybe the destruction of the watch, stopping the bite, was her last gift.

Joel's emotions slowed down. His breathing calmed. The ringing in his ears went. The tears stopped. He regained focus. Breaking down, shooting the lifeless clicker, Ellie...what happened to him? She was still weeping at his shoulder, not wanting to let go, not knowing what Joel might do next, afraid, scared. He needs to be strong. Be brave. Be a father. "Shh, shh, baby girl...I'm ok now...I'm so sorry...It's ok now, baby..." He never liked seeing Ellie cry. He didn't want to see his baby girl cry.

Maybe a daughter to raise was her last gift.

* * *

**The Last of Us does not belong to me.**

**I'm new so no making fun of me ;) but constructive criticism is highly appreciated :)**


	2. The Dam Horse Race Part 1

**The Dam Horse Race**

* * *

"Announcement! Announcement! Dam Horse Race in 3 days! Dam Horse Race in 3 days!"

Joel chuckles. "Couldn't they come up with a more presentable name?"

Not a single cloud in sight today. A light breeze flowed across the dam, refreshing the diligent workers doing their chores. Joel and Ellie finishes up their duties early. With their free time, they decide to take a leisurely stroll.

Ellie closes her eyes, taking in the sounds and smells. She could hear the children singing, the birds singing, and the river roaring. She could smell the delicious bread that the baker is making. She enjoyed the cool breeze hitting her face. It brought a smile to her face.

Joel enjoyed seeing this side of her. The relaxed and carefree Ellie, her battle scars hiding her youth. He wishes he could just freeze this scene and its serenity forever. Of course the kid ruined it.

The little kid, no older than 12, barrels down the narrow street, shouting the news to no one in particular.

Confusion dawns on Ellie's face. "What do you mean, 'more presentable'?"

Joel smiles. "Repeat it."

"Dam Horse Race." Ellie follows. It takes her a few seconds. "Oh, I get it," Ellie giggles, "Hehe. Damn."

"Hey, kid," Joel calls for the boy, "Who's organizing the race?"

"Maria," the boy responds, "For recreation, she said." The boy then dashes away, continuing to spread the news around town.

Joel and Ellie watch the kid until he disappears. Ellie, wanting to break the silence, says, "Well, I'm not joining. Joel?" Joel shakes his head. And so, they continue their walk.

* * *

"Joel! Joel! Joel!" Ellie bounds the steps two at a time, her still wet hair tied in a messy ponytail.

"Geez, kiddo, slow down." Joel finishes up cooking Ellie's omelet. He places it on a plate and slides it toward her. He cracks another egg for his own breakfast. "What is it?"

Ellie swallows a mouthful before answering, "I was thinking of joining the Dam Horse Race."

Joel chuckles as he places the egg in the frying pan. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Ok, I had this really fucking cool dream, where I was riding a horse, and it looked like Callus, but it wasn't Callus, then the horse started running, and, shit, Joel, the horse was fucking fast, like, I almost couldn't hold on, but I did!" Ellie takes a deep breath before carrying on. "And it was so fucking real! I was surprised when I woke up, then I realized it was a dream, then I realized it was a sign! It's a sign to join the Dam Horse Race!"

Joel sits down beside Ellie with his breakfast. "So you're joining the horse race, which is tomorrow, mind you, all just because of a dream?"

"Of course! When's the last time you had a dream that wasn't a nightmare?"

It saddened Joel that he can't come up with an answer.

"Whatever. So, will you let me join, Joel? Pleeeaseee?" Ellie pleads.

He knows he doesn't really have a choice. "We'll talk to Maria after farm duties."

"Yes! Thanks, Joel!" She gives him a hug, and then runs toward the door. "Meet me there!"

As Ellie left, Joel can't help but smile at her eagerness. He then resumes finishing his breakfast.

* * *

"Joel, I swear, if you're another smartass who wants to laugh at the name..."

Maria looks distressed. She's the organizer of the whole race, and delays were happening left, right, and center. All should've been finished a day ago. Joel and Ellie approached her in a bad time.

"No, no," Joel replies. "Ellie here wants to join actually."

Maria frowns. "But the race is tomorrow."

"I already told her that. She had a dream last night though. The dream's all about her riding this really fast horse. She said it was a sign."

Maria smiled at Ellie. "Well, don't let me stop you then. Signs are a rare find these days. Follow me, then, we'll get you a horse."

Joel and Ellie follow Maria as she walks towards the stable. "Go on, Ellie, take your pick."

Ellie scans the room before settling with one of the horses. "I like this one. He looks like Callus."

Maria looks over the horse that Ellie picked. "Good pick, Ellie. He's a strong horse. His name is Treston." She then faces Joel. "Look, as much as I'd like to stay, I really need to finish fixing up the track. See you guys."

Joel and Ellie wave farewell as Maria walks away, already busy making calls.

"So, Treston, huh?" Ellie pats the horse's neck. "I believe we'll be getting on very well."

* * *

"Aagh! Fuck you, Treston! Just, fuck you!"

Joel barely held his laughter this time. Ellie and Joel decided to practice for the race outside the dam. Unfortunately, they were met with a surprise.

Treston turns out not to be the most cooperative of horses. They struggled to pull him out of the gates. He wouldn't move no matter how much Ellie persuaded him. Now, he refuses to be sat on, kicking Ellie off his back whenever she tries. She finally gives up, rubbing her bottom, walking to where Joel is sitting, muttering "Stupid horse" under her breath.

Treston neighs happily, as if mocking Ellie further. She collapses beside Joel. Joel can't stop the stupid grin emerging from his face. "Giving up already?"

Ellie sighs. "I wouldn't give up so soon if someone's not being a stubborn fucking ass!" she shouts at the horse.

Joel finally lets out a laugh. Even with her bad mood, Ellie couldn't help but smile as well. "The problem, Ellie, is that you're approaching this the wrong way."

He stands up and approaches the horse. "Though they might not look like it, animals are actually pretty smart. They could sense feelings, emotions." He pats the horse's neck. "Agitation, frustration, it can sense all of that. So you have to relax yourself. Be carefree. Think happy thoughts, if you will." He motions for her to join him.

"Now, when you ride Treston again, instead of thinking how shit a horse he is, think about things that make you happy." Ellie gingerly climbs on Treston's back, closes her eyes, and starts thinking about things that make her happy. She thinks about the comic books that Joel found. The little joke book that he hates so much. The peace and quiet life the dam brings. She thinks about the chores in the farm. She thinks about the guard duties. She recalls all the things she and Riley did. She reminisces the time with Tess. She also can't forget the fun times she had with Sam. But most of all, she remembers all the times she and Joel were together.

"Holy shit," Ellie gasps. "It fucking worked." Even Joel's surprised that it actually worked. Treston wasn't kicking Ellie off its back anymore.

Ellie grabs the reigns and pulls. The horse rears and then gallops away. Ellie can't help but laugh at her accomplishment. Treston now follows her every will, every command. The speed took Ellie's breath away, the woods around her a blur. They galloped off to the sunset.

* * *

The bright and twinkling stars enveloped the night sky. Just over the horizon, Ellie walks Treston over to their house. Exploring the woods around them made Ellie lose her sense of time. It surprised her when the bright blue sky suddenly turned to a golden orange.

Joel, not wanting to disturb Ellie's fun, walks home and waits for them there. Sitting at the porch, he watches Ellie tie the horse to a post and sit down beside him. Taming Treston was a surprisingly tiring task.

"So," Joel starts, "You had fun?"

Ellie nods before having a huge yawn.

Joel grins. "Well, win or lose tomorrow, all that matters is you enjoy the moment. Okay?"

Ellie slowly leans towards Joel's shoulders, feeling her eyelids become heavy. "Geez, Joel, you sound like a dad."

Joel looks at Ellie. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Ellie manages to mumble, "Not at all," before succumbing to sleep.

* * *

**The Last of Us does not belong to me.**

**Yea, I know, the whole story is based off of an awful pun.**

**Almost forgot, thanks for the follows, faves and reviews! Really motivated me to write this down quick. :)**


	3. The Dam Horse Race Part 2

**The Dam Horse Race Part 2**

* * *

Ellie wakes up from her slumber. The same dream came up again. She riding a horse, the woods around her a blur. It cheered her up. She didn't have nightmares for two days straight.

She stands up from bed and looks outside. The black sky, still enveloped by bright, shiny stars confirms her suspicions. She woke up way too early, even earlier than the sun.

After taking a shower, he slowly walks towards Joel's room. She didn't expect to see him still sleeping. Usually, Joel is the early bird between the two.

Ellie decides to approach his bed. She watches the slow rise and fall of his chest. She takes a glimpse of his face.

Joel didn't age very well. His battle scars show the many hardships 20 years of survival have given him. His hair, which used to be a deep, dark black, is now grey with age. But Ellie saw something different in his sleeping face.

She saw peace, calmness, serenity. Most of the time, his face is filled with worry. Worrying about infected, worrying about the food supply, worrying about survival. But now, the worry is gone. Joel's face showed no care about the world around him. It made Ellie smile.

The tranquility didn't last long. Joel's face scrunched up in pain. His slow breathing grew into panicked gasps of air. He starts muttering gibberish, but Ellie caught one word. Sarah.

It brought sadness to her. Why did she get two nights free of nightmares, yet Joel still suffers? She would rather have them back than see Joel like this. Why does he have to be in pain, even in sleep?

Ellie holds Joel's hand. She can't help but feel weak and helpless, unable to help Joel. Ellie hopes with this simple act, the only thing she could do, she hopes she can stop the images. She knows it's futile. You can't stop nightmares by holding someone's hand.

She stopped his, though.

* * *

The amount of people watching took Ellie's breath away. She considered a dozen survivors to be a humongous group, but the amount of spectators watching is an easy 200. She never saw this many people in one place.

"Nervous?" Joel asks, observing the crowds. Ellie nods. It did put butterflies in her stomach.

"I've never seen so many people in one place."

"20 years ago, you call a turnout like this small."

This crowd alone made Ellie lightheaded. And Joel calls it small? Just the thought of it made Ellie want to collapse and disappear.

"How did they handle it, Joel?"

"Handle what?"

"You know, the pressure?"

Joel chuckles at her question. "You survived 14 years in a world full of infected. And yet you can't take this?"

Ellie looks at him. "Yes." Joel looks at her back. "How about you, Joel? How did you overcome pressure?"

Joel sighs. "Sometimes, I can't. It will be too much, and I end up doing horrible." He stares at her emerald eyes. "So you find something to fight for. Fight for that one thing, and that one thing alone. You could never impress 200 people, but you could damn well impress 1."

Ellie smiles. "Yea. I can do that." She could hear her name being called. "Very well, I'll do my best to make you proud."

She runs off to prepare for the roll call. Joel looks at her figure as she disappears. "You already make me proud, kid."

* * *

An announcer calls out the horses names. Each horse and rider is cheered on by their friends and co-workers. Joel notices some guards, some of the farmers, and one of the electrical engineers. Joel's knowledge about horses is not great, but he could swear 3 of the horses are thorough bred. He raced against one before, and the speed they showed was frightening.

The 11th person called is Ellie, and her horse, Treston. Some of the guards cheered for her. Being a crack shot won her their favor. Joel himself clapped and cheered with them.

Ellie observes the stands and sees Joel, clapping and shouting encouragements. It gave her assurance. She won't let him down.

There were 12 contestants altogether. Some faces Ellie was able to recognize. There on the far end one of the farmers fixes his saddle. And number 4 over there is one of the messengers. She takes a mental note to watch out for him. Even though he can't handle a gun, she knows he can ride a mean fucking horse. The letters need to be delivered on time after all.

A man shouts for them to get into position. All the horses line up in a single file. The man pulls out a revolver. "3!...2!...1!..." BANG!

Treston is startled by the gunshot. He rears before calming down and taking off. Ellie bites her lip as she realized they're currently last.

Ellie decides to hug the corner and try overtaking the guy in front of them. She pulls Treston's reigns and moves him to a gallop. The horse is quickly overtaken, and so is the horse in front of that.

Joel watches in silence as she sees Ellie moves up the ranks. From the tenth position, she does a quick maneuver, changing her direction from the right to the left. It surprised the rider, and soon Ellie is leaving him in the dust as well.

Ellie notices the farmer he saw earlier. Every time she tries to feint, he catches her and blocks her path. Ellie decides she won't get anywhere with this approach. She points Treston to the left, and kicks him to a gallop. The farmer wasn't fast enough to block them, and Ellie squeezes right trough.

Joel sighs in relief. That's quick thinking on Ellie's part. She tried to muscle her way in instead of her usual feinting, and it paid off. He takes note that they're already halfway through the race, and Ellie's still in 8th.

Ellie manages to outspeed the next two horses in front of her. She notices Treston's now catching his breath. He still giving his all, but she fears that the horse just might stop running altogether.

Then she notices another problem. The rider in front of him is number 4, the messenger. He looks back and notices her. "Ha, why if it ain't Ellie! Thought you're still last in the line." She knows his taunting him, but it is getting her a little pissed. "Your horse ain't looking well so either." Treston is still running, though she notices they're losing speed quick. The rider behind her is catching up fast.

Joel can't help but feel nervous this time. He knows the guy riding the number 4. He's a good rider. Not only that, but he's also one of the guys riding a thoroughbred. Ellie needs his cheer now more than ever. With all his breath, he screams, "ELLIE! YOU COULD TAKE ON THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

She didn't know how she heard Joel's cheer, but it didn't matter. It gave her the power, the motivation to finish this strong.

It's something she needs to fight for.

Ellie, grabs the reigns, and motions to Treston to give it his all. Home stretch. The messenger guy notices it, and reverts his eyes back on the track. He gives his horse a kick, and it breaks off into a sprint.

But it was too late. Treston got his momentum back, and with his remaining strength, ran like he never ran before.

It took Ellie's breath away. Everything around her is a blur. She couldn't see the number 4 anymore. The speed seemed so familiar too. It's the same speed she saw in her dreams.

Joel couldn't believe it. Not only did Treston defeat the thoroughbred, he did it with 2 seconds to boot. He never saw a horse move so fast in such a short amount of time.

Treston slows down to a slow trot, and finally stops. Ellie gives him a path in the neck, and whispers to him, "That was really fucking cool, Treston." Treston could only manage a quiet neigh of agreement.

* * *

"Fifth?! FIFTH?! We flew back there, and all we got is a lousy fucking fifth?!"

Joel laughs at her agitation. "Geez, Ellie, it's just a race."

As Joel foretold, the two thoroughbreds won the first and second place. He almost didn't notice his brother, Tommy, joined. He was able to nab the third place. One of the stablehands rode a beautiful, black stallion to the fourth place.

Ellie, from her awful start, manages to rise through the ranks from 12th all the way to 5th. She is able to defeat a thoroughbred in the home stretch. From an equal position, to a 2 second margin between the two, the messenger suffered from his arrogance and had to settle with 8th.

They were approached earlier by the guy after the race. "That was one hell of a display there, Ellie! Can now say that you deserve the win there." Ellie replies, "Well, you did ask for it." The messenger laughs and bids farewell soon after.

After hearing about the results, one could say Ellie is less than pleased.

"Just a race?! I don't know about you Joel, but this shit's not 'just a race'!"

"So what is it then?"

"It's a fucking quest for redemption! The underdog, standing up to its oppressors, defeats them and saves the world! And I can't do that with a fucking fifth!"

Ellie finally calms down a bit. "It's just...shit, Joel..."

Joel just chuckles at the situation. "Look, why don't we just get something to eat? The winner's celebration should be starting anytime now, and you'll feel better after you have a bite."

Ellie and Joel stands up and walks toward the town plaza, where the festivities are being held.

"Joel?"

"Mm?"

"Sorry."

Joel stops in his tracks and looks at her. "Why? What is it?"

"Y'know, I wasn't able to make you proud."

Joel chuckles. "Is that why you're so worked up about getting fifth?"

Ellie shrugs. "I guess."

Joel kneels down and stares at her eyes. "Ellie, I want you to always remember, that you don't have to be a champion of a race, or the best in a sport to make me proud. The point is, always remind yourself, that whenever you're feeling down, or like the world is against you, just remember that I'm always there behind you."

Ellie beams at what Joel said. "Thank you, Joel. For everything."

Joel stands up and grabs her hand. "So, let's walk to the party?"

She clasps her hands to his. "Yeah. Let's."

And so, they walked together that afternoon, heading to the festival, hand in hand.

* * *

**The Last of Us does not belong to me.**

**Sorry, this was delayed due to bad internet.**

**This is my try in writing fluff.**

**It's decent, I guess.**

**Thank you to all the reviews! It really motivated me to write these down quick.**

**Classes has just resumed for me. There might be around week long delays, but I still don't know. Depends on workload.**


	4. Deuteronomy 5:20 Part 1

**Deuteronomy 5:20**

* * *

A loud gunshot rings inside Ellie's head. She wakes up from a deep sleep. She's exhausted, like she ran away from a horde of clickers. Where is she? She attempts to move, but her body will not respond. _What happened?_ Her eyelids wouldn't cooperate either. Her limp body carried by someone, but she doesn't know by whom. The person starts to move, making Ellie dizzy and lightheaded.

The guy carrying him throws Ellie's body to the ground. It almost made her shout from surprise, if her mouth wasn't so numb. She expects to hit cold, hard concrete. She hits soft, plush, leather instead. Her legs are pushed, and a door closed. It's the sound of car door. Why did this guy put her inside a car? Did he also did this to her? _And where's Joel?_

Ellie hears faint footsteps from outside the car. A woman shouts in the background, her voice scared and in pain. _Wait a minute,_ Ellie struggles to find a name, _I know that voice._

"Wait!" Realization dawned upon Ellie. No wonder it sounded so familiar.

"Let me go." _What happened to her? Why is she in pain? What is she scared of?_ Ellie tries to move, but it's no use. Her body remains still.

"Please." The man who carried her, he's the culprit! She needs to get out of this car, fast_. Where in the world is Joel?_ Her head hurts. The sounds are getting harder and harder to hear.

"You'd just come after her."

_Joel? What are you-_

_Bang!_

Ellie's thoughts fade to darkness, succumbing to the effects of the drug. But not before hearing the gunshot, and the last pleas of Marlene.

* * *

Joel jolts awake. The nightmare...the realism scared Joel to waking up. In the past nights, the same nightmare plays every night. It always plays the time last 20 years ago. But tonight…

With balled fists, Ellie stabs a finger to his chest. She tells Joel things in between clenched teeth, but he didn't catch them. Her eyes are red with rage and sadness. Never in his whole life did he see her this way. Not when they first met. Not at the restaurant. Not at the bedroom in the ranch. But why the dream? You don't get a change of scenery all of a sudden. Joel didn't like it. He considers which of the two nightmares he'd rather get. He waves away the thought; all it does is makes his head hurt more.

He walks downstairs and checks the window. He must've slept for around an hour. Fluorescent lights still shine through the curtains of some houses and a fresh new batch of soldiers patrol the perimeter. He watches the men walk around the wall. Joel decides walking would do him some good too.

Joel steps outside and takes a deep breath. The noise of the dam invades his hearing. The strong smell of pine tickles his nostrils. The electric lamp posts illuminate the little streets, even at this time of night.

Joel strolls through the road. He remembers the time when he considers this a stupid act. Before, clickers used it to hide themselves, and it's easy to get lost if you're not careful. But Tommy's dam made this once dangerous activity safe.

He catches a few people doing the same thing. Joel waves a hand at them, and they wave back. He did not expect to see Ellie among them.

"Ellie! Hey, Ellie!"

Ellie almost didn't catch Joel's call. She waves at him and grins. "Hey."

"Can't sleep either?"

"Yea. Just woke up, actually. "

"Nightmares?"

"N-no, it's ..." She sighs. "I don't know."

"Want to talk about it?"

"...maybe next time."

They walked together in silence for a while. The evening let out a cool breeze for them to enjoy. The other people with them disappear one by one. Joel and Ellie linger on the streets until they alone remain. "Joel, can I ask you something?"

"Mm."

"Why...why do people lie?"

Joel glances at her. "Why do you ask?"

Ellie shrugs. "It just...y'know, crossed my mind I guess."

Joel remains quiet for awhile. "Well, many people lie to trick people, to hurt them, to get things that they want. Some people lie not for their own sake, but to protect others." An image crossed his mind. Ellie, cursing him, with clenched teeth. "And some people lie because they're scared. Scared of what will happen if the truth became known."

"...is that why you lied to me?"

His slight change of pace didn't go unnoticed to Ellie.

"I had this dream last night. I was paralyzed. My eyes were closed shut. I couldn't even open my mouth to shout for help. You were there Joel, and so was Marlene. I heard her pleas, Joel. And then...and then..."

Ellie stops her walking. "And it was so fucking real, Joel." She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. "You swore. It was all just a dream, right? Just a horrible nightmare?"

Joel kneels down, and looks her in the eyes. "Ellie..."

"It isn't though, right?" Her emerald eyes pierce through Joel's soul, the guilt inside him overwhelming. "It's not just a dream. You did kill her. Why, Joel, why?"

" I..." Joel hangs his head in shame. "I don't know." He can't let them harm Ellie. He can't bear losing another one. But if he told her, would she understand? Or would it drive them further away?

"If you can't tell me why, then just..." Her breath catches from the sobbing. "Tell it to me. Tell me what happened there with Marlene."

Joel kisses her forehead. He smells her auburn hair. It smelled of dirt, grime, and oil. Mixed with the different scents is her smell. Ellie's smell. "Okay."He tries to hold onto the scent, onto her frame, but she breaks away from his grasp. Already, she's so distant, so far away.

And he told her everything.

* * *

"Hey, brother."

Tommy walks over to Joel. Ellie, still avoiding him, decides to take up guard duties in the wall farthest from him. With the things he said, she needs all the space she can get.

The past days made everybody sweat buckets. The weather seemed to give them a break this particular morning. The cool breeze arrives, a welcome sight, though a bit too strong. Joel closes his eyes, and breathes in the air. Joel looks with longing to his side. It's empty, the place where Ellie stands.

"Hi, baby brother. What's up?"

It surprised Joel to see Tommy up the walls. Maria wants his help with the organizing of the dam, and with the amount of things to complete, he's always rushing around. "Maria gave you a break?"

Tommy chuckles. "Fortunately, she knows there are days that are simply made for rest. I mean, look at this." He waves his arm around to prove his point. "It ain't been this cool since forever. Oh, what I wouldn't do for a pint right now..."

Joel smiles at his little brothers ramblings. "'Days made for rest'? I think they're called Sundays, Tommy."

He chuckles. "Makes me think of the time when we're in Sunday school. You still remember?"

"Yea. You were always the little troublemaker, and I'm the good boy, memorizing all the verses. I remember this one time, the teacher got so mad, that she literally threw her bible at you."

"Holy shit, yea." He scratches his head, trying to remember something. "Damn, what's her name again? She's an old prune, but I liked her a lot."

"Hell if I remember. It's been a while...Hope she's alright."

"God probably took her way before the infection. Seriously, she's as old as all those bible stories."

They both laugh at the sentiment. For a minute they stood there in silence, sometimes broken by the patrol marching around. "Oh, almost forgot something." Tommy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little book with a cross emblazoned in its cover. "Found this while scavenging a while back."

It's a little bible. Joel inspects it with care, fearing it might collapse. The cover lost some color, the pages a little bit tattered, but overall, it's still in good shape. He opens it, and reads a random passage. "Tommy, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"Remember what she always told us at Sunday school? About how the most important commandment is do not lie?"

"I think it still stands. Now I ain't no holy man or anything. I've lied before. Countless times. And never, and I mean never do I get away with it." The image of Ellie flashes in Joel's head. "Even now, they still haunt me. The dreams are..." Tommy looks over the dam, beyond the horizon. What lies did he tell? "The point is, it's never good to lie." Tommy looks into his eyes. "Is that why you and Ellie are ignoring each other?"

"Look...it's not like that...but-"

"Bandits! Bandits!"

A messenger runs past them, shouting about bandits. The other guards pick up their rifles, and runs towards the breach. "Look," Tommy picks up his rifle. "We need to clean this up. We'll talk about this later." Joel and Tommy run with the guards, hurrying over to the bandits.

* * *

Ellie pushes another ladder off the wall, following with it a couple of bandits. She gets out her switchblade and stabs another infiltrator, and he tumbles off the wall.

One moment a patrol strolls the perimeter, enjoying the nice weather, and the next a machete impales her chest. Ellie's squad, the nearest to the area, tries to control the area. They're losing ground fast.

"Ellie!" One of her friends in the squad holds off another bandit, though he's overpowering her fast. She rushes toward her side and stabs him in the collarbone. He tries to retaliate, but she stabs him again and again until he falls to the ground.

"Thanks..." He assesses his body to check for injuries. "Ellie, watch out!" She turns around in time to see another one bringing down a big baseball bat. Before Ellie could react, Joel grabs the neck of the bandit and throws him down to the floor. The bandit shouts something, but before Joel could hear it, his foot comes down with a massive stomp.

"You ok, kid?" Ellie nods in reply. "Good, there's a few more that needs to be taken care of." Joel takes his revolver and shoots a bandit in between the eyes.

More and more backups arrive, and the bandits fall back one by one. Fewer and fewer ladders came up, and more and more of them run back to the woods. Ellie shoots three bullets at the back of the bandit. He falls down to the edge of the wall, bringing a couple of his friends with him. Ellie changes the empty clip. She notices something from the corner of her eye.

She turns her head and sees a bandit crossing towards her, a rusty hatchet in hand. He towers over everybody in the area. The hatchet shadows over Ellie, yet it did not slow his sprint towards her.

Ellie raises her pistol and shoots at him. The bullet hits square on his left shoulder, yet he continues his run. Before Ellie could get in another shot, he knocks the handgun off her grasp.

Ellie scrambles to grab the gun. She grabs it, and turns around to aim. Bang. Another shot, but he paid no heed to it. The giant bandit swings his mighty hatchet toward her.

She could've dodged it. It would just take a roll to any direction, and the hatchet would miss her. She could've dodged it. She could've dodged it.

"Ellie!" Joel runs toward her. The hatchet swings, and Joel puts up his left arm, trying to block the blade from hitting Ellie.

The axe head hits his arm with a massive crunch. Agony surges up his arm. He lets out a bellow unlike any he ever made. His eyes water from the pain. Warm blood spurts from the wound, pouring down the floor. Black spots appear in his vision. A massive urge to vomit invades his throat and stomach.

A rifle round through the giant bandit's head puts him down. Ellie snaps back to reality. She looks up to see Joel lying down in a large pool of blood, the rusty hatchet still embedded in his arm.

"Joel!" She runs towards his side. The color left his face. His eyelids flutter, struggling to keep them open. Quick and raspy breaths replace his usual deep, controlled breathing. "What. The. Fuck!" She grabs his collar. "I had it Joel! I fucking had it! You didn't have to do shit, yet you...you..." "Ellie!" Tommy tries to pry Ellie off Joel. "Not now, Ellie!"

"You...fucking...stupid...thick-headed...fucker... " The only time she felt this scared…no. Ellie can't think about the incident right now. There's a greater emergency at hand. Every second, his breaths get shorter and fewer. His eyelids no longer flutter, shut tight. Her tears came up again. She does not know what to do.

"Ellie!" Tommy pulls her shoulder to look at him. "If you want to see Joel live through this, we have to act fast and _now_." Ellie nods and wipes her eyes. Tommy rips a cloth from one of the corpses and wraps it higher up Joel's left arm. "Now, I want you to pull the hatchet." Ellie grabs the handle. "3, 2, 1, c'mon Ellie, pull!" She holds the handle and tugs, but it won't budge. She pulls again. The hatchet must've embedded itself to Joel's bone. With one last pull, the hatchet breaks free. Some blood sputters from the wound. Joel stands up, screaming, then falls back down again. Tommy pours a bottle of alcohol on the wound. Joel winces, his eyes closed shut tight. Tommy wraps a bandage over the arm. He beckons some guards to him.

"We'll carry Joel to the infirmary. He needs antibiotics. The rust from the hatchet will surely infect his wound fast. But you, Ellie, need to go home. You could come by and visit him in around a week." 4 guards carry his limp body and Tommy points the direction toward the infirmary. Ellie wants to help them, maybe in carrying, or fixing him up. Helplessness invades her. She wants to help. She wants to help.

* * *

**The Last of Us does not belong to me.**

**Sorry for the delay.**

**Writers block, school, and a new writing style I'm trying to adapt.**

**Don't expect one this week, I have exams.**

**Thank you for all the faves, follows, and reviews!**

**Next one will be up soon.**


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